The crisis of personality in psychology has been considered for a long time, but they have not yet become the subject of deep and lengthy research. As a result, in psychology there are different views on the crisis inherent in the life path of the individual. Psychological science presents various approaches and views on understanding the essence of crisis phenomena and their typology.

In our opinion, all personality crises that occur on her life path can be divided into:

• crises of mental development;
• age crises;
• crisis of a neurotic nature;
• professional crisis;
• critical-semantic crisis;
• life crises.

According to the strength of the impact on the psyche, three stages of the crisis can be conditionally distinguished: storey, in-depth and deep.

Storey crisis manifests itself in the growth of anxiety, anxiety, irritation, incontinence, dissatisfaction with oneself, one's actions, plans, relationships with others. One feels confusion, tension of expectation of the ill-fated development of events. Indifference to everything that worried arises, once stable interests are lost, their spectrum narrows. Apathy directly affects the decline in performance.

Deep crisis manifests itself in a sense of powerlessness in front of what is happening. Everything falls out of hand, the ability to control events is lost. Everything around is only annoying, especially the closest ones, who must endure outbursts of anger and remorse. Activities that have always been easy now require significant effort. A person gets tired, becomes sad, perceives the world pessimistically. Sleep and appetite are disturbed in it. Depending on the individual characteristics, aggressive reactions may occur. All these symptoms complicate contacts, narrow the circle of communication, and contribute to the growth of alienation. Their own future causes more and more serious concerns, a person does not know how to live on.

deep crisis accompanied by feelings of hopelessness, disappointment in oneself and others. A person is acutely experiencing his own inferiority, worthlessness, uselessness. Falls into a state of despair, which is replaced by apathy or a sense of hostility. Behavior loses flexibility, becomes rigid. A person is no longer able to spontaneously express his feelings, to be spontaneous and creative. She goes deep into herself, isolates herself from relatives and friends. Everything that surrounds her seems unreal, unreal. The meaning of existence is lost.

Each crisis is always lack of freedom, it necessarily becomes a temporary obstacle in development, self-realization. Sometimes a crisis contains a real threat to existence, a full-fledged being. The habitual way of life falls apart, it becomes necessary to enter a different reality, to search for a new strategy for solving a dramatic collision.

Crisis behavior is striking in its straightforwardness. A person loses the ability to see shades, everything becomes black and white, contrasting for her, the world itself seems very dangerous, chaotic, unconvincing. The surrounding reality for a person is destroyed. If a closest friend expresses doubts about the behavior of a person who is in crisis, she can instantly cross out her long-term relationship with him, accepting his hesitation as a betrayal.

In a dangerous world, you need to be very careful - the one who has fallen into dramatic life circumstances believes, and therefore he becomes a mythologist, trying to interpret every little thing as a sign portending further events. Faith is growing in fate, God, karma, cosmic intelligence. The inability to take responsibility pushes one to shift the burden onto someone else - smarter, more powerful, incomprehensible and mysterious.

The attitude to time changes in such a way that a person ceases to connect the past and the future with each other. The fact that the experienced seems unnecessary, the former plans seem unrealistic, impracticable. The flow of time becomes uncontrollable, excites anxiety, depresses. It becomes almost impossible to live in the present, because a person is not able to adequately perceive what surrounds her. The inner world is increasingly moving away from the outer, and a person remains a prisoner of his own illusions, neurotic exaggerations, paranoid thoughts.

Summarizing the symptoms of a crisis state, the following indicators can be distinguished: 1) a decrease in the adaptability of behavior; 2) drop in the level of self-acceptance; 3) primitivization of self-regulation.

The cause of crises is critical events. Critical events are turning points in an individual's life, accompanied by significant emotional experiences. All professionally conditioned critical events can be divided into three groups:

• normative, conditioned by the logic of a person's professional development and life: graduating from school, entering professional educational institutions, starting a family, finding a job, etc.;
• non-normative, which are characterized by random or unfavorable circumstances: failure during entry into a professional school, forced dismissal from work, family breakdown, etc.;
• extraordinary (extraordinary), which occur as a result of the manifestation of strong emotional and volitional efforts of the individual: independent termination of training, innovative initiative, change of profession, voluntary assumption of responsibility, etc.

Critical events can have two modalities: positive and negative. The modality of events is determined by the ways of emotional response to changes in life, professional circumstances and difficulties. And the event itself for two people can have the opposite modality. Events of positive modality will be called epic, negative - incidents.

Unfavorable circumstances are familiar to everyone, there are too many social stresses today. However, different individuals experience the same extreme situations in different ways. Even the person himself, who last year perceived any trouble quite easily, can now experience such a collision as a personal disaster. The intensity of social cataclysms for each person is different - depending on experience, hardened against trials, a general pessimistic and optimistic outlook on life.

Neither wars, nor repressions, nor ecological or economic crises can be the decisive impulses that provoke the emergence of a life crisis. At the same time, events that are almost imperceptible from the outside - betrayal of a loved one, slander, misunderstanding - can push for a life knockout. The human world combines the external and internal into an inseparable integrity, which is why it is impossible to determine whether the causes of each crisis should be sought inside or outside.

In everyday life, situations with an uncertain future also occur. A person who suffers does not foresee a real end to difficult, painful circumstances. A dangerous disease that falls on a person or her relatives is also a test with an uncertain future. Divorce, family breakup cannot be perceived as a narrowing of the perspective, the inability to predict the future existence. The leading feeling is the unreality of what is happening, the disconnection of the present from the past and future. And almost every person experiences the death of relatives - those without whom, in fact, life loses its colors, is devastated.

Life has certain stages, which are always different from each other. Each age, with its beginning and end, eventually passes. A person is constantly progressing and, like a mollusk, breaks the shell. The state, which lasts from the time of the break of the shell to the formation of a new one, is experienced as a crisis.

Twenties are said to be trying to find their own business; thirty-year-olds strive to reach certain heights in the chosen field of life; forty-year-olds want to get as far ahead as possible; fifty-year-olds - to gain a foothold in their positions; sixty-year-olds - to maneuver in order to adequately give way.

The described crisis reveals a line, a watershed between age periods - childhood and adolescence, youth and adulthood. Such a crisis is a progressive phenomenon, without which it is impossible to imagine the development of the individual. A person and his environment do not necessarily perceive it painfully, although this also often happens.

It is known that a developmental crisis (normal or progressive crisis) never occurs without tension, anxiety, depressive symptoms. Temporarily, these unpleasant emotional correlates of the crisis state are intensified, paving the way for a new, more stable, more harmonious stage. Such a crisis, referring to the studies of E. Erickson, is also called regulatory, that is, one that exists within the normal range. Emphasizing the short, non-pathological nature of age-related disorders that accompany this crisis, D. Offer and D. Oldgham designate it as "substitution".

In the psychological literature, you can find many terms that characterize people who grow up almost conflict-free. These are both “emotionally healthy” and “competent”, that is, boys and girls who have high academic performance, communicate quite well with peers, participate in social interaction, and adhere to generally accepted norms. Indeed, individual variants of the course of the crisis largely depend on innate constitutional features and the nervous system.

Social conditions also have a direct impact on the features of the age crisis. In particular, in the well-known scientific works of M. Mead, on the basis of empirical material, it is proved that even adolescence, which the researcher studied on the islands of Samoa and New Guinea, can be crisis-free. The relationship between adolescents and adults is there in such a way that no problems arise. M. Mead believes that an economically developed society creates a number of conditions that provoke age-related crises and complicate socialization. This is the rapid pace of social change, and the contradictions between the family and society, and the lack of the necessary system of initiations.

The main symptom of approach normal crisis- this is mental saturation with leading activity. For example, in preschool age, such an activity is a game, in primary school age - learning, in adolescence - intimate-personal communication. It is the leading activity that provides opportunities for further development, and if the age determinant is exhausted, if favorable conditions for growth are no longer created within the existing leading activity, the crisis becomes inevitable.

Relatively abnormal (regressive) crisis, then it is not connected with the completion of a certain stage of mental development. It arises in difficult life circumstances, when a person has to experience events that suddenly change her fate. Troubles in professional activities, communication, family relationships, especially if they coincide with a period of general dissatisfaction with one's own life, a person can perceive as a catastrophe, which causes stable emotional disorders. Even a minor nuisance becomes an impetus for the deployment of a crisis state. Therefore, it is so important to know the level of the so-called "biographical stress" in the individual, the number of negative events that occurred during the last month, year, etc.

Difficult life situations can be defined as those that require a person to act that exceeds her adaptive capabilities and resources. The person and the event are very closely related, so the individual life history directly affects the perception of dramatic collisions. Eternal troubles (the term of G. Lazarus) can also influence the occurrence of an abnormal crisis if there are too many of them, and the person is already in a depressed state.

An anormative crisis destroys not only activities that are no longer leading. It can also jam up activities in relation to the immature, not fully mastered. In general, the negative phase of such a crisis, when the process of destruction of the old, obsolete, can be quite long, which prevents the emergence of constructive transformations.

Crises of mental development. In domestic psychology, great importance was attached to the study of crises of mental development. A study of the works of domestic psychologists shows that different terms are used in the study of that same psychological phenomenon. The concepts of "age crises" and "crises of mental development" are used as synonyms. To explain the legitimacy of our position, consider the factors that initiate the crisis.

In a generalizing article by K.M. Polivanova about crises in the mental development of children, it has been convincingly proved that the leading factors in childhood crises are a change in the social situation of development, a restructuring of the system of relationships with adults and the outside world, as well as a change in the leading activity.

Crisis phenomena develop in certain relatively short periods. But they are not initiated by age. Age is only a background against which the crisis manifests itself, the main thing is restructuring, changes in the social situation and leading activities. And of course, crises of mental development are not limited to the period of childhood. The social situation of development and leading activity also change beyond childhood.

So, crises of mental development are a transition from one stage of development to another, which is characterized by a change in the social situation, a change in the leading activity and the emergence of psychological neoplasms.

From the age of 14-16, a change in the leading activity and social situation further initiates the emergence of crises of mental development. Since the leading activity of an adult becomes educational, professional and professional, it is justified to call these cardinal changes crises of the professional development of the individual. The decisive factor in the emergence of these crises belongs to the change and restructuring of the leading activity. A variety of professional crises are creative crises caused by creative failure, lack of significant achievements, professional helplessness. These crises are extremely difficult for representatives of creative professions: writers, directors, actors, architects, inventors, etc.

age crises. It is legitimate to consider age-related changes in a person, generated by biological development, as an independent factor that determines age-related crises. These crises refer to the normative processes necessary for the normal progressive process of personal development.

In psychology, the crisis of childhood has been studied in detail. Usually, a crisis of the first year of life, a crisis of 3 years, a crisis of 6-7 years and an adolescent crisis of 10-12 years are distinguished (L.I. Bozhovich, L.S. Vygotsky, T.V. Dragunova, D.B. Elkonin, etc.) . The form, duration and severity of experiencing crises differ markedly depending on the individual typological characteristics of the child, social conditions, the characteristics of upbringing in the family and the pedagogical system as a whole.

Childhood crises arise during the transition of children to a new age level and they are associated with the resolution of acute contradictions between the features of relationships that have developed in them with others, as well as with age-old physical and psychological capabilities and aspirations. Negativism, stubbornness, capriciousness, a state of increased conflict are characteristic behavioral reactions of children during a crisis.

E. Erickson put forward the postulate that each age stage has its own point of tension - a crisis generated by the conflict in the development of the "I"-personality. A person is faced with the problem of matching the internal and external conditions of existence. When certain personality traits mature in her, she faces new challenges that life puts before her as a person of a certain age. “Each successive stage ... is a potential crisis resulting from a radical change in perspective. The word "crisis" ... was taken in the context of ideas about development in order to highlight not the threat of a catastrophe, but the moment of change, a critical period of increased vulnerability and increased potentialities.

E. Erickson divided the life path into eight stages. According to the identified age stages, he substantiated the main crises of psycho-social development (Fig. 41.1).

	Psychosocial development	Strong aspect of personality
	Basic faith and hope against basic hopelessness (trust - distrust).
Early childhood	Self-reliance against feelings of guilt and fear of condemnation (self-reliance - shame, doubt)	Strength of will
Game age	Personal initiative against feelings of guilt and fear of condemnation (initiative - guilt)	purposefulness
Junior school age	Entrepreneurship vs. feelings of inferiority (industriousness - feelings of inferiority)	Competence
Adolescence - early youth	Identity versus confusion of identity (its identity is role confusion)	Loyalty
	Intimacy versus isolation (Intimacy is isolation)
adulthood	Performance versus stagnation, self-indulgence (performance is stagnation)
Old age (65 years-death)	Integrity, universality versus despair (its integration is despair)	Wisdom

Fig.41.1. Stages of psycho-social development (according to E. Erickson).

The basis for the periodization of crises of psycho-social development in E. Erikson is the concept of "identity" and "self-identity". The need to be oneself in the eyes of significant others and in one's own eyes determines the driving forces of development, and the contradictions between identity and self-identity predetermine the crisis and the direction of development at each age stage.

A crisis of a neurotic nature is predetermined by internal personal changes: the restructuring of consciousness, unconscious impressions, instincts, irrational tendencies - everything that gives rise to an internal conflict, inconsistency of psychological integrity. They have traditionally been the subject of study by Freudists, neophroydists, and other psychoanalytic schools.

Professional crisis. Based on the concept of the professional development of an individual, a crisis can be defined as a sharp change in the vector of its professional development. Short in time, they are most clearly manifested during the transition from one stage of professional development to another. Crises pass, as a rule, without pronounced changes in professional behavior. However, the restructuring of the semantic structures of professional consciousness, reorientation to new goals, correction and revision of the socio-professional position prepare a change in the ways of performing activities, predetermine changes in relationships with others, and sometimes - to a change in profession.

Let's take a closer look at the factors that determine the crisis of professional development. Gradual qualitative changes in the ways of performing activities can be interpreted as determinants. At the stage of primary professionalization, there comes a moment when further evolutionary development of activity, the formation of its individual style is impossible without a radical break in the normatively approved activity. A person must make a professional deed, reveal excess activity or reconcile. Excessive professional activity may occur during the transition to a new educational-qualifying or creative level of performance.

Another factor that initiates crises of professional development may be the increased social and professional activity of the individual as a result of her dissatisfaction with her social and professional educational status. Socio-psychological orientation, professional initiative, intellectual and emotional tension often lead to the search for new ways to perform professional activities, ways to improve it, as well as to a change in profession or place of work.

The factors that give rise to professional crises can be the socio-economic conditions of a person's life: the liquidation of an enterprise, job cuts, unsatisfactory wages, moving to a new place of residence, etc.

Also, the factors that cause a crisis of professional development are age-related psychophysiological changes: deterioration in health, decreased performance, weakening of mental processes, professional fatigue, intellectual helplessness, "emotional burnout" syndrome, etc.

Professional crises often arise during the entry into a new position, participation in competitions for filling a vacant position, certification and rating of specialists.

Finally, the factor of a long-term crisis phenomenon may be the complete obscurity of professional activity. Canadian psychologist Barbara Killinger in her book Workaholics, Respectable Drug Addicts notes that professionals who are obsessed with work as a means of achieving recognition and success sometimes seriously violate professional ethics, become conflicted, and show rigidity in relationships.

Professional development crises can be initiated by changes in life activity (change of residence, break in work related to caring for young children, "office romance", etc.). Crisis phenomena are often accompanied by a fuzzy awareness of the insufficient level of their competence and professional helplessness. Sometimes there are crisis phenomena in conditions of a higher level of professional competence than is necessary for the performance of normative work. As a result, there is a state of professional apathy and passivity.

L.S. Vygotsky singled out three phases of age-related crises: pre-critical, proper critical, and post-critical. In his opinion, in the first phase there is an aggravation of the contradiction between the subjective and objective components of the social situation of development; in the critical phase, this contradiction begins to manifest itself in behavior and activity; in postcritical it is solved by creating a new social situation of development.

Based on these provisions, it is possible to analyze the crisis of the professional development of the individual.

• Precritical phase turns out to be dissatisfied with the existing professional status, the content of the activity, the methods of its implementation, interpersonal relations. A person is not always clearly aware of this discontent, but she finds herself in psychological discomfort at work, irritability, dissatisfied with the organization, wages, managers, etc.
• For critical phase characteristic conscious dissatisfaction with the real professional situation. A person builds options for changing it, considers scenarios for further professional life, feels an increase in mental tension. Contradictions are aggravated, and a conflict arises, which becomes the core of crisis phenomena.

An analysis of conflict situations in crisis phenomena makes it possible to single out the following types of conflicts in the professional development of a person: a) motivational, caused by a loss of interest in studies, work, loss of professional growth prospects, disintegration of professional orientations, attitudes, positions; b) cognitively effective, determined by dissatisfaction, content and methods of implementation of educational, professional and professional activities; c) behavioral, caused by contradictions in interpersonal relations in the primary team, dissatisfaction with one's socio-professional status, position in the group, salary level, etc.

The conflict is accompanied by reflection, revision of the educational and professional situation, analysis of their capabilities and abilities.

• Conflict resolution leads to a state of crisis postcritical phase. Ways to resolve conflicts can be constructive, professionally neutral and destructive.

A constructive way out of the conflict involves increasing professional qualifications, finding new ways to perform activities, changing professional status, changing jobs and retraining. Such a way of overcoming crises requires from the individual an above-standard professional activity, the performance of actions that pave a new direction for her professional development.

A person's professionally neutral attitude towards crises will lead to professional stagnation, indifference and passivity. A person seeks to realize himself outside of professional activities: in everyday life, various hobbies, gardening, etc.

The destructive consequences of crises are moral degradation, professional apathy, drunkenness, idleness.

The transition from one stage of professional development to another also gives rise to normative crisis phenomena.

The following stages of professional development of a person are determined:

• optatsiya - the formation of professional intentions;
• vocational education and conduct;
• professional adaptation;
• primary and secondary professionalization: primary professionalization - up to 3-5 years of work, secondary professionalization - high-quality and productive performance of activities;
• craftsmanship is a highly productive, creative, innovative activity.

At the option stage, learning activities are re-evaluated: motivation changes depending on professional intentions. Education in the upper grades acquires a professionally oriented character, and in professional educational institutions it has a clear educational and professional orientation. There is every reason to believe that at the stage of option there is a change in the leading activity of educational and cognitive to educational and professional. The social situation of development is changing radically. At the same time, the collision of the desired future and the present is inevitable, the real one, which takes on the character crisis of educational and professional orientation.

Experiences of the crisis, reflection of one's capabilities predetermine the correction of professional intentions. There are also adjustments to the "I-concept", which was formed before this age.

The destructive way of resolving the crisis leads to a situational choice of vocational training or profession, falling out of the normal social sphere.

At the stage of vocational training, many pupils and students experience disappointment in the profession they receive. Dissatisfaction with individual subjects arises, doubts arise about the correctness of the professional choice, and interest in learning decreases. In the crisis of professional choice. As a rule, it is clearly manifested in the first and last years of vocational training. Except for rare exceptions, this crisis is overcome by changing educational motivation to social and professional. Every year, the professional orientation of academic disciplines increases, and this reduces dissatisfaction.

So, the crisis of revision and correction of professional choice at this stage does not reach the critical phase, when the conflict is inevitable.

After completion of training in a professional institution, the stage of professional adaptation begins. Young specialists begin independent labor activity. The professional situation of development is radically changing: a new work team, a different hierarchical system of production relations, new socio-professional values, a different social role and, of course, a fundamentally new type of leading activity.

Already choosing a profession, the young man had a certain idea of ​​the work ahead. But the discrepancy between real professional life and the idea that has been formed predetermines the crisis of professional expectations.

The experience of this crisis is expressed in dissatisfaction with the organization of labor, its content, official duties, industrial relations, working conditions and wages.

There are two options for resolving the crisis:

• constructive: intensifying professional efforts to quickly adapt and gain work experience;
• destructive: dismissal, change of specialty; inadequacy, poor quality, unproductive professional functions.

The next normative crisis of the professional development of a person occurs at the final stage of primary professionalization, after 3-5 years of work. Consciously or unconsciously, a person begins to feel the need for further professional growth, the need for a career. In the absence of prospects for professional growth, a person feels discomfort, mental tension, thoughts about a possible dismissal, a change of profession appear.

The crisis of professional growth can be temporarily compensated by various non-professional activities, leisure activities, household chores, or perhaps a cardinal decision - leaving the profession. But such a resolution of the crisis can hardly be considered productive.

Further professional development of a specialist leads him to secondary professionalization. A feature of this stage is the high-quality and high-performance performance of professional activities. Ways of its implementation have a clearly expressed individual character. A specialist becomes a professional. He is characterized by a social and professional position, stable professional self-esteem. Socio-professional values ​​and relations are radically rebuilt, the ways of performing activities are changing, which indicates the transition of a specialist to a new stage of professional development. The professional self-awareness that has been formed so far suggests alternative scenarios for a further career, and not necessarily within this profession. The individual feels the need for self-determination and self-organization. Contradictions between the desired career and its real prospects lead to the development career crisis. At the same time, the “I-concept” was seriously reviewed, and adjustments were made to the existing relationships. It can be stated that the professional situation of development is being reconstructed.

Possible scenarios for overcoming the crisis: dismissal, mastering a new specialty within the same profession, moving to a higher position.

One of the productive options for eliminating the crisis is the transition to the next stage of professional development - the stage of mastery.

For mastery stages characterized by a creative innovative level of performance of professional activities. The driving factor in the further professional development of the individual is the need for self-realization. Professional self-actualization of a person causes dissatisfaction with himself and others.

The crisis of unrealized opportunities, or, more precisely, the crisis socio-professional self-actualization, - it is a spiritual turmoil, a rebellion against oneself. A productive way out of it is innovation, invention, a fast-paced career, social and professional excess activity. Destructive options for resolving the crisis - liberation, conflicts, professional cynicism, alcoholism, the creation of a new family, depression.

The next normative crisis of professional development is due to the exit from professional life. Upon reaching a certain age limit, a person retires. The pre-retirement period for many workers is becoming a crisis. The severity of the crisis of loss of professional activity depends on the characteristics of labor activity (workers of physical work experience it more easily), marital status and health.

In addition to normative crises, professional development is accompanied by non-normative ones related to life circumstances. Events such as forced dismissal, retraining, change of residence, interruptions in work associated with the birth of a child, loss of ability to work cause strong emotional experiences and often acquire a pronounced crisis character.

Crises of professional development are expressed in a change in the pace and vector of a person's professional development. These crises are caused by:

• age-related psychophysiological changes;
• change in the socio-professional situation;
• qualitative restructuring of the ways of performing professional activities;
• total immersion in the social and professional environment;
• socio-economic conditions of life;
• service and vital events.

Crises can occur briefly, violently or gradually, without pronounced changes in professional behavior. In any case, they give rise to mental tension, dissatisfaction with the social and professional environment, with oneself.

Crises often occur without pronounced changes in professional behavior.

Critical-semantic crises due to critical circumstances of life: dramatic, and sometimes tragic events. These factors have a devastating, the catastrophic result for a person. There is a cardinal restructuring of consciousness, a review of value orientations and the meaning of life in general. These crises occur on the verge of human capabilities and are accompanied by boundless emotional experiences, they are predetermined by such abnormal events as disability, divorce, involuntary unemployment, migration, unexpected death of a loved one, imprisonment, etc.

P.O. Akhmerov, exploring the biographical crisis of personality, as factors that predetermine, calls events and the relationship between them. Depending on the relationship, he identifies such crises:

• crisis of unfulfillment - subjective negative experience of the life program;
• a crisis of emptiness - mental fatigue and experiences of lack of achievement;
• crisis of hopelessness - lack of prospects for professional growth of real plans for the future.

The author does not compare these crises with a person's age. In his opinion, they are determined by subjective experiences. In the individual life of a person, the main crises occur in different ways: emptiness + hopelessness; unfulfillment + emptiness + futility. A person experiences such combinations of crises quite hard, and the way out can be destructive, up to suicide.

Life crises. life crisis called the period during which the way of determining the processes of development, the life plan, the trajectory of the life path change. This is a long-term deep conflict about life in general, its meaning, main goals and ways to achieve them.

Along with the mentioned groups of psychological crises, there is another huge layer of crisis phenomena caused by major abrupt changes in living conditions. The determinants of these life crises are such important events as graduating from an educational institution, employment, marriage, the birth of a child, a change of residence, retirement, and other changes in a person's individual biography. These changes in socio-economic, temporal and spatial circumstances are accompanied by significant subjective difficulties, mental tension, restructuring of consciousness and behavior.

Life crises are the subject of close attention of foreign psychologists, in particular S. Buhler, B. Livehud, E. Erikson. Dividing human life into periods, stages, they pay attention to the difficulties of transition from one stage to another. At the same time, they emphasize the features of crisis phenomena in women and men, analyze the factors that initiate the crisis. Depending on the scientific orientation, some researchers see the causes of crises in the biological development of a person, pay attention to sexual changes, others attach more importance to the socialization of the individual, and others to spiritual, moral development.

Widely known in the 1980s and pp. in the United States acquired a book by the American journalist Gail Shinhi "Supposed crisis in the life of an adult" (1979). Based on a generalization of the life of the upper layers of the American middle class, she identifies four crises:

• "pulling out the roots", emancipation from parents (16 years);
• maximum achievements (23 years);
• correction of life plans (30 years);
• middle of life (37 years) - the most difficult, milestone.

After retirement, socio-psychological aging begins. It manifests itself in the weakening of intellectual processes, an increase or decrease in emotional experiences. The pace of mental activity decreases, caution to innovations appears, constant immersion in the past and orientation to previous experience. They also note a passion for moralizing and condemning the behavior of young people, opposing their generation to the generation that is coming to replace them. This is a crisis of socio-psychological adequacy.

Experiences during acute crisis conditions:

• hopelessness, aimlessness, emptiness, a sense of impasse. Against such an emotional background, a person is not able to independently cope with his problems, find ways to solve them and act;
• helplessness. A person feels that he is deprived of any opportunity to control his life. This feeling often occurs in young people who feel that others are doing everything for them, and nothing depends on them;
• a feeling of inferiority (when a person evaluates himself low, considers himself insignificant, etc.);
• feeling of loneliness (no one is interested in you, does not understand you);
• rapid change of feelings, variability of mood. Hopes quickly flicker on and off.

The crisis is exacerbated by such life circumstances: a past in a really dysfunctional family, a difficult childhood, domestic violence, unsatisfactory relationships with loved ones, loss of loved ones, loss of a job, social rejection, retirement (undesirable), serious illness, collapse of life plans, loss of ideals , problems related to religious belief. The person experiences the loss of a loved one more strongly if there was a strong emotional dependence on it or if the deceased evokes ambivalent, opposite feelings, an acute sense of guilt.

Suicidal intent can be suspected from the following signs:

• lack of interest in something;
• inability to plan one's actions in the current life situation;
• inconsistency, duality of intentions. The person expresses the desire to die and at the same time asks for help. For example, a person might say, "I really don't want to die, but I don't see any other way out."
• talking about suicide, increased interest in various aspects of suicide (cases, methods ...);
• dreams with plots of self-destruction or catastrophes;
• reasoning about the lack of meaning in life;
• letters or notes of a farewell nature, unusual ordering of affairs, making a will.

Suicidal tendencies increase during depression, especially when it is deepened and tucked away. Such signs should also be alarming: the sudden disappearance of anxiety, calm, which frightens, with a touch of “otherness”, detachment from the worries and anxieties of the surrounding life.

Increase the risk of suicide: attempts to commit suicide in the past, cases of suicide among relatives, parents; suicide or attempted suicide among acquaintances, especially friends; maximalist character traits, a tendency to uncompromising decisions and actions, division into "black and white", etc.

In suicide, to this day, there is a lot of obscurity, they were not the cause.

On the path of each of us, this terrible word “crisis” inevitably comes across. It is different for everyone, but still requires one immediate solution. We will tell you how to overcome the crisis of personal growth and forget about it forever!

This terrible word "crisis"

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The crisis is different, and each one interferes with further life self-realization. By itself, the concept of crisis means internal stagnation, the inability to move on, develop and solve their problems on their own. In this case, you will have to fight to overcome it.

In order to properly arm yourself to overcome the crisis of personal growth, you need to learn about the reasons for its occurrence and features. Remember, you will have to face them directly.

The main causes of inhibition in the development of personality:

• Facing a serious problem.

Life is unpredictable, and sometimes tests us for strength, throwing up puzzles to solve them. In this case, you should not put the existing problem on the back burner, it needs to be solved here and now.

• Busy business.

Neurotic states can appear due to a clear overload. Remember, our body is not iron, it also needs rest. If the blockages of cases cannot be sorted out on your own, you can always turn to other people for help.

• Lack of good motivation.

The main reason for stagnation in the development of personality has always been the lack of motivation. If there is no purpose and desire, then who wants to act? Try to find motivation that is effective for you personally, and it will make you move mountains.

• Financial difficulties.

A smooth life path can be significantly spoiled by financial difficulties. Especially those that came out of nowhere. For example, sudden big expenses that were not planned for the near future. What to do, you have to solve them, but such a problem will leave its mark on the peace of mind.

• side pressure.

One of the reasons for the crisis of personal growth is the pressure of society, surrounding people. Here it is worth saying stop, and directly discussing what is bothering you so much.

• Feeling lazy.

Sometimes a person is his own enemy. For example, if he allows the feeling of laziness to take over. It is worth making a little effort, and giving start to action, so you will be the winner in this situation.

Once you understand the causes of an identity crisis, you can choose the appropriate way to deal with them. And our portal, in turn, will help you with this!

1. We develop immunity to stressful situations.

The world around us is sometimes unpredictable, so you can expect anything and at any time. In order not to get confused in such a situation, it is better to prepare yourself in advance for this meeting. Yes, it is impossible to predict the appearance of a stressful situation. But, if you meet with her mentally prepared, then there will be no fear, and you will save your nerves.

2. We train to fight back stress.

They say that life is easier for those who “know how to spin around in life.” It is easier for a flexible person to overcome a crisis state and quickly return to normal. This emotional flexibility can really be developed through training. Namely, playing board games.

Such games can bring a person to experience, cause a feeling of excitement and a desire to win. All these emotions are similar to stress, therefore, by learning to control yourself during the game, you will learn to resist adversity in real life.

3. We liberate our body.

Our emotions and body are deeply connected. All inner experiences are instantly reflected on us physically through pain and ailments. Therefore, our spirit can be influenced through the body.

For example, with the help of physical activity: it can be running, dancing, stretching exercises, and so on. After all, it is not in vain that many people, after a bad day, immediately run to the gym to relieve the accumulated tension.

4. We remove self-criticism.

It also happens that the inner voice leads to a crisis. And all because each of us has his own little (or not so) critic. He helps someone in self-improvement, but for someone, on the contrary, he crushes his self-esteem and becomes depressed.

In this case, the best option would be to work with a psychoanalyst who will help you gain a sense of confidence and self-worth.

5. We relax to the fullest.

Again, back to the relationship between emotions and the body. At the moment of a crisis situation, our body is very tense, and the muscles are constrained. You need to relax ASAP! Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to do this. For instant relaxation, some exercises that are easy to find on the Internet are suitable.

For example, use breathing exercises for relaxation. It is necessary to take deep breaths and exhale through the nose for 30 seconds. So you normalize your breathing and achieve calmness.

Another way to quickly calm down is to perform a set of exercises for muscle relaxation. For example, tilt your neck back and shake your head in a relaxed way. Then tilt your head forward down, trying to reach your chin to your chest. Repeat the exercise 2-3 times.

There is an interesting way to relax with positive thoughts. To do this, you do not need to look for suitable conditions or spend a lot of effort, you just need to close your eyes and think about something good.

6. We boldly go to conquer our goals.

In any case, the main thing is to start. And in the fight against neurosis, the same rule applies. True, here it is important to have a clearly set goal in front of you, which you are going to comprehend. In this case, you should not spend a lot of time thinking about the plan and tactics, you need to act immediately, only in this way you can achieve the desired result!

7. Healthy sleep is the key to success.

One of the best ways to deal with a neurotic disorder will be a good sleep. Sometimes a neurosis, from which a crisis subsequently arises, is treated precisely through sound sleep, in which a person can rest and recover.

8. Don't stop fighting.

As soon as you give up, you can immediately consider yourself a loser in this fight. Faith in yourself and your strengths will help you find the strength to further resist all the hardships of life.

9. Switch.

Everyone knows that neurosis is a sign of exhaustion and fatigue. In such a state, it is really difficult to overcome obstacles. We advise you to arrange a brain discharge, switch from an urgent problem to something else. It can be a crossword or a board game, or maybe a math problem. Basically, anything will do. After such a break from the problem, you will definitely have the strength to solve it!

10. Seek support from loved ones.

A common mistake in crisis states is an acute desire for loneliness. In fact, it is at such moments that you simply need the support of your relatives. Do not be afraid to admit your illness to them and ask for help. You are not alone, do not protect yourself from the whole world!

11. Reduce emotional stress.

Perhaps you are simply not coping with all the tasks assigned to you. Stop, collect your thoughts and answer yourself the question: “What is pressing you so hard right now?”. Surely there are things that at this point in time can be put aside and come back to them later. This will help you reduce the burden on your sensitive nature.

12. Interest yourself.

Sometimes stagnation in development occurs due to a lack of motivation for worthwhile actions. Try to interest yourself in something new. It can be hobbies that you have not encountered before sitting down, or traveling to new places. In fact, the world is filled with amazing things, you just need to find what you like!

13. Looking for the positive in everything.

It is important, in any case, not to lose positive thinking. The effectiveness of solving the problem depends on it. If you train your brain in advance to perceive any failure as a test that it can easily cope with, then in fact it will happen.

14. Never give up.

In order to follow the above tips and overcome the crisis of personal growth once and for all, the main thing is to never give up! Then the advice will be effective and useful, and you will prevail over the neurotic state.

15. Seek help from a specialist.

Do not forget that a person is not a robot, and sometimes a crisis situation can be much more difficult than we think. But this is not the time to be afraid, and this happens. Here you will need a look at the ailment of an experienced psychologist who will definitely help you with overcoming it.

Using our tips, you will definitely find harmony with yourself and recharge with a portion of good mood!

Do you know the feeling of helplessness, loss, misunderstanding, how and why to live on? Do you think that an identity crisis is always difficult and painful?

Is it possible to turn a period of personal crisis into the next step for your development and do it as much as possible easy and comfortable?

From this article you will learn:

• what in fact signifies a personal crisis,
• what types of crises does each person go through,
• how to get through these periods with maximum effect for your personal and spiritual development.

What is an identity crisis

A personal crisis is an experience of a turning point, a critical moment that affects the future course of life. Such periods are characterized by strong negative emotional experiences.

The word crisis comes from the Greek krisis and literally means “parting of the roads, turning point”. And in Chinese, this word consists of two hieroglyphs: wei - danger, trouble, threat, and chi - a turning point, the essence of being, an opportunity ...

That is, when you find yourself on the brink of a crisis, life provides you opportunity to choose a new direction and, having gone through difficulties, reach a different level of development.

According to the American psychologist J. Jacobson, a crisis occurs if life events pose a potential threat to the satisfaction of fundamental needs, and at the same time they pose a problem for the individual, from which he cannot escape and which he cannot resolve in a short time in the usual ways.

Thus, it is important to understand that the crisis requires changes in the way of being:

• lifestyle,
• way of thinking,
• relationship with yourself
• the world around
• basic existential issues.

It can be said that overcoming age-related crises contributes to the development of a person, and existential crises - to the formation of a Personality.

Imagine how your life will change when you master the art of mastering through periods of crisis, seeing them as great opportunities for choosing a new life.

Studying at the Institute of Reincarnation helps to solve the main task of the crisis period: to know oneself, to see the ways of change and reach a new level of development.

Do you think there are differences in the causes of the onset and how the crisis proceeds for men and women?

Despite the fact that in our time the traditional roles of men and women overlap strongly, internal experiences and causes of crises continue to persist.

Men are more acutely experiencing crises associated with their implementation in society. And in those moments when the situation develops as a crisis, requiring a new solution, which is not yet available, they experience despair and tend to show aggressive reactions.

Women endure crises more painfully with relationships.

Feelings of uselessness, loneliness often push on the path of self-realization according to the male type. If the relationship does not add up, then maybe this is not necessary; I will develop as a professional.

Such a decision can temporarily bring relief, color life with a new meaning. But over time, the feeling of loneliness will only grow.

Types of personality development crises

Crises can be classified according to different criteria:

Age-related personality crises:

• Children's age crises 3, 7 and 14 years. You have already passed each of them. Perhaps they have already passed or your children and grandchildren will pass. Each is important for the development of certain qualities.
• First adult crisis or crisis of adolescence usually falls on 17-18 years. At this time, self-determination of the further life path takes place.
• Midlife crisis 35-40 years makes you sum up the preliminary results of life, evaluate the experience gained and adjust the future path.
• At 55-60 years old With retirement, there is a change in the usual way of life and it is important to find your fulfillment in this world again.

In fact, there are several more age crises.

The Institute of Reincarnation is often visited by people going through midlife crises and retirement. Training helps appreciate the experience gained and find new ways to implement.

Also important is the supportive environment of like-minded people, where there is an atmosphere of trust and loving acceptance of each student.

Do you know a state similar to the age crisis, before your birthday?

I confess that I myself belong to this category. This is not surprising, since as we grow older, we begin to perceive a birthday not as a holiday, but as a kind of milestone for summing up the results of the passed stage.

And if you don’t like the results, self-criticism begins like “I already ...., but what have I achieved / what do I have?”

Age crises are the most predictable. It is enough just to know the features of each of these periods and the tasks that they set for you - and then you will be able to draw up a specific plan of action for yourself and mitigate the passage of a difficult period.

Smile! I remembered the novel by Boris Akunin “The whole world is a theater”, in which the main character Erast Fandorin, having stepped over his 50th birthday, made up an “aging plan”.

In each next year of life, you need to master two milestones: sports-physical and intellectual. Then aging will not be scary, but interesting. And he remarkably implemented this plan, until life made adjustments, adding a crisis from the unpredictable category - love for an actress.

And with that smile, let's move on to the next, often unpredictable, category of crises.

Situational crises

A sharp change in familiar conditions, moving, the departure of loved ones, the loss of a job, a change in financial situation - there are many surprises in life, both pleasant and painful.

Recall how you went through similar events in your life. Perhaps the most interesting thing about most situational crises is that even assuming some moments, planning certain events, you do not know how it will be implemented and what you will have to face.

One of the strongest and most protracted crises in my life was in 2011. Within 2 months, life went downhill. In February - dismissal from your favorite job to reduce. In March, the son seriously injured his knee. Then my mother passed away. Gradually, problems began in the relationship with her husband.

A chain of events from different spheres of life, both planned and sudden. I was ready for dismissal, the process of liquidating the organization in which I worked lasted more than a year. But: the work was loved, she was given almost 14 years and everything was built from scratch with her own hands, and this is where the main social circle is.

No matter how I prepared for the first free day of my life, everything turned out to be completely different. Only the first two weeks were perceived as rest. And then my internal throwing and thinking “why?”

The most unpredictable and painful was the death of my mother. She was only 60. In the evening I was visiting her, and at 9 am I got a call from her work and was told about her death. She worked at the ambulance and emergency station, all resuscitation measures were carried out without delay. For an hour, the best doctors tried to bring her back to life and could not do anything.

Then I realized that if the Soul decided that all the tasks were completed, it leaves. And there is no point in blaming doctors for being late or incompetent. I grew up among these people, I knew how much they love my mother and I was completely sure that everything in their power was done.

But later another tricky thought was added, dragging me into a deeper whirlpool of crisis. And this idea is connected with guilt- what I didn’t do as a daughter, what I didn’t have time to say. There were even deeper experiences associated with our relationship.

My crisis period has dragged on. Pain, misunderstanding of what to do, and why all this is for me. At the same time, the reluctance to move - I could not get out of bed for hours, and if I got up - I could not concentrate and hung in mental chewing gum or fell into the void.

Very soon I will tell you about what helped me cope and really get out of this crisis wiser, calmer, more confident and start a new interesting life. And now I propose to consider another frequently encountered category of crises.

Spiritual, existential crises

Most often they come unnoticed or are concomitant (or a consequence) for the two types discussed above.

During spiritual crises there is a revision deep life values and search for the meaning of life. And these are the most transformational periods in the development of you as a person.

In 1999-2000 under the guidance of Doctor of Psychology V. V. Kozlov, a study was conducted at the Yaroslavl State University.

In the questionnaire proposed to the participants of the study, there was a question about the reasons for the spiritual crisis they experienced. You can see the answers below.

- loss of a loved one (26.7%);
— illness of a loved one (17.2%);
— severe illness (12.4%);
- unhappy love (6.6%);
— a life-threatening situation (8.5%), etc.

From the answers it is clear that the reasons can concern both you personally and are related to feelings for loved ones. And this - peculiarity of spiritual crises, in contrast to age or situational ones, which mainly affect you.

Let's summarize what you've learned so far about crises. There are many classifications of personality crises. At the same time, it is important to understand that the human psyche is one, and all attempts to classify are needed more by professionals in order to determine how to help a person in a given situation.

And for an ordinary person who is in a difficult life situation, it absolutely does not matter whether it is a midlife crisis or the loss of a loved one.

Pain and experiences take you on all levels and interfere with being productive and happy.

Stages of development of a personality crisis

Do you think it is possible to prepare for the onset of a crisis period, make its passage less painful and even benefit?

Yes, it is possible if you know about the stages in which any kind of personality crisis develops.

At the same time, one must understand that often the crisis period does not have clear time limits. It can be difficult to determine its beginning and end. For this important to be aware for their psychological state.

Immersion stage

Usually a crisis begins with the emergence of a certain situation, some event in your life, which is characterized by two points:

1. Powerful emotions.
2. The inability (misunderstanding, ignorance) to act in the usual, familiar way.

It is these characteristics that lead to emotional and mental chewing gum as you begin to go around in circles, gradually sinking deeper and deeper into negative experiences.

Since emotions and thoughts at this stage are chaotic, chaotic, then in this state hard to find a new good solution. And any attempt to act in the usual ways is doomed to failure.

At this stage, it is important to track your condition, to identify cause-and-effect relationships. Need to add to your life more positive things, which will allow you to switch. It helps a lot to be surrounded by like-minded people who support you.

It is also important to really live, and not push negative emotions deep into yourself.

From my example about the death of my mother - due to the fact that I had to take over the entire organization of the funeral (dad was in even worse condition, the husband was at work, the son had a leg in a cast), then there was simply no time to live through emotions .

I remember the moment when the coffin was lowered into the grave, and I was called aside so that I could pay off the priest, who had been invited for the funeral service. When I returned, the grave was already being formed. When was it like a woman to mourn here? All the tears were left unshed mental pain driven into the body.

And this happened to me, having knowledge and even working with people for many years. She understood everything, but she couldn't do anything. Until I realized: I can’t cope alone, I need to turn to specialists.

After 4 months from the beginning of the crisis period, at the immersion training for two weeks, I splashed out all these unspoken, suppressed emotions.

I remember well how, at one of the practices, I clearly understood that I saw and felt a coffin in front of me and surrendered to the will of tears, allowed myself to cry out my grief.

Only after that did a gradual recovery begin and it became possible to proceed to the next stage - the search for a solution and answers to questions about what to do next.

Now imagine that at the beginning of the crisis period you were surrounded by people who are ready to support you. And you get the opportunity to communicate at the Soul level with departed relatives.

To you no need to suppress emotions, but you can calmly realize them, live and accept them. And you see the whole causal chain that led to this point in life. How much easier and faster will this stage of the crisis period pass for you?

dead end stage

At this stage, you have already realized the problem, managed to objectively see the task that is before you. But how exactly to act- you don't know yet. And very often here begins an endless search for reasons “why and for what?”.

It is this retreat into the past exacerbates the deadlock. The reasons can be endless: in past deeds, thoughts, actions or inaction. The reasons may lie in the recent past, or may be in childhood or past lives.

And looking into the future at this stage is very difficult, because it seems negative, unpromising. But right now it is very important to find a new meaning of life, to find new solutions, to see new ways of development.

There is a great opportunity in the 1st year of IR remember the tasks of your Soul and those lessons that she planned for herself for this incarnation. It helps to rediscover the purpose of life.

Relief comes from the reminder that the crisis is over. A black stripe is always followed by a white stripe. And, of course, any practices aimed at self-acceptance, attunement with the natural rhythm of life, meditation.

Fracture stage

And here is the solution. Or you managed to see the situation from a different angle and change your attitude towards it. Now you have to act differently!

It is very important at this stage to really introduce new qualities, a new vision. Integrate new experience into activities, form new models of behavior.

Here another danger awaits you - the fear that it will not work out, you will not cope, they will not understand.

Allow yourself to try and fail, learn new things as if you were a child learning to walk. Implement new solutions, apply your new qualities in everyday situations.

And be sure to enlist the support of like-minded people. Secure your positions.

You really went through a difficult period with dignity and emerged victorious, having accumulated certain experience, which becomes your life wisdom.

The space of the Institute of Reincarnation has everything you need for a comfortable passage through any personal crisis.

In the basic course, students under the guidance of experienced teachers master the remarkable exercise "Matryoshka", which helps at each stage not to get stuck in the emotional and mental “chewing gum”, but to see what is happening through the eyes of the Soul.

In the 1st year, our students explore the space between incarnations - the World of Souls. And they remember the tasks of their Soul and how they planned this release.

In addition, there is always the opportunity to remember your own experience - and how in past lives they coped with similar situations, what gave strength and what decisions were made then.

Surely in this life you already have the experience of going through a crisis period of life.

Meditation Way out of a personal crisis

I suggest doing a practice that will help you fill up with a resourceful state and see how you grew as a person at that time.

Another favorite tool of reincarnists is alternative future planning- allows you to try on various solutions and consciously choose the best one.

And most importantly, here, in the space of the Institute of Reincarnation, you are always in circle of like-minded people, very carefully, lovingly supporting each other. Here you can be sure that you will always be understood, accepted and helped in the most difficult moments.

Now you know what an identity crisis is, how it develops and what happens at each stage. And you saw how at the Institute of Reincarnation you can learn how to go through periods of crisis with the best result for your personal and spiritual development.

Let's look at times of crisis periods of opportunity reach a qualitatively new level of your Path. And for this, your awareness and understanding is important that you are not only a physical body, you are not only feelings and emotions.

You already have much more experience than can be seen in one mortal life. Learn to remember and use this experience for your personal, professional and spiritual development!

Throughout life, a person faces various crises due to his biological, mental and professional development.

Age crises due to maturation, restructuring, aging of the human body. Changes in mental abilities are the result of age-related changes. This means that it is legitimate to consider age-related changes in a person, generated by biological development, as an independent factor that determines age-related crises. These crises are among the normative processes necessary for the normal progressive course of personal development.

Crises of professional development are caused by a change and restructuring of the leading activity (for example, from educational to professional). A variety of professional crises are creative crises caused by creative failure, lack of significant achievements, professional helplessness. These crises are extremely painful for representatives of creative professions: writers, directors, actors, architects, inventors, etc.

Crises of a neurotic nature are associated with intrapersonal changes: the restructuring of consciousness, unconscious impressions, instincts, irrational tendencies - everything that gives rise to an internal conflict, a mismatch of psychological integrity. They are traditionally the subject of study by Freudians, neo-Freudians and other psychoanalytic schools.

Along with the mentioned groups of psychological crises, there is another huge layer of crisis phenomena caused by significant sharp changes in living conditions. The determinants of these life crises are such important events as graduation from an educational institution, employment, marriage, the birth of a child, a change of residence, retirement, and other changes in a person's individual biography. These changes in socio-economic, temporal and spatial circumstances are accompanied by significant subjective difficulties, mental tension, restructuring of consciousness and behavior.

And finally, one more group of crises should be singled out, caused by critical life circumstances, dramatic and sometimes tragic events. These factors have a devastating, sometimes catastrophic outcome for a person. There is a radical restructuring of consciousness, a revision of value orientations and the meaning of life in general. These crises flow on the verge of human capabilities and are accompanied by extreme emotional experiences. They are caused by such abnormal events as disability, divorce, involuntary unemployment, migration, unexpected death of a loved one, imprisonment, etc. Let's call this group critical crises.

The first three groups of personality crises have a relatively pronounced chronological, age-related character. They are normative; all people experience them, but the level of severity of the crisis does not always take on the character of a conflict. The prevailing tendency of normative crises is a constructive, developing personality.

The second three groups of personality crises are non-normative, probabilistic in nature. The time of onset, life circumstances, scenarios, participants in the crisis are random. These event crises are caused by a combination of circumstances. The way out of such crises is problematic. Sometimes it is destructive, and then society gets cynics, outcasts, homeless people, alcoholics, suicides.

Of course, personality crises can occur at any age and it is hardly possible to predict them.

Nevertheless, for a large number of people, life crises occur at approximately the same age, which serves as the basis for dividing and describing these stages of development of a mature personality.

Twenty-year-olds usually deal with choosing a career and starting a family, setting life goals and starting to achieve them. Later, around thirty, many come to re-evaluate their previous choices of career, family, life goals. Sometimes it comes to a radical change in life tasks, a change in profession and the collapse of family or friendships. After thirty years, a person, as a rule, goes through a period of getting used to new or newly confirmed choices. Finally, at the end of their careers, people face a new crisis due to the impending withdrawal from active work and retirement. This crisis is especially difficult for managers who are accustomed to everyday activity, a sense of the importance and necessity of their work, to their leadership role in the organization.

Each of the described age crises can affect the activities of the organization. However, if crises at the dawn and dusk of a career are usually perceived as natural, then a mid-life crisis often seems paradoxical and unexpected. Therefore, we consider it necessary to consider it in more detail, touching upon the psychological problems underlying it.

The first stage of middle age begins around the age of thirty and moves into the beginning of the next decade. This stage is called the “decade of doom” or “mid-life crisis”. Its main characteristic is the awareness of the discrepancy between dreams and life goals of a person.

People's dreams and plans almost always have some unrealistic features. By the age of thirty, a person is already gaining enough experience to realize the illusory nature of many of his fantasies. Therefore, the assessment of their divergence from reality at this stage is colored, as a rule, in emotionally negative tones. Life ceases to seem endless, and time turns out to be so fleeting that it is impossible to have time to do something important and worthwhile in life. The gap between dreams and reality suddenly turns out to be an unbridgeable abyss. The idea of ​​a future happy and dignified life that awaits you is replaced by a feeling that “life has passed by” and it is too late to change anything in it. Until recently, they could say about you: “Well, this one will go far.” Now you feel that the time of hope is running out, and whether you like it or not, you have to state with bitterness that you will no longer become either a mayor or a sir, or a member of the Duma, or a corresponding member, or even a foreman in your own SMU.

Disillusionment, which is not unusual at the age of thirty, can be threatening to the individual. Dante described his own confusion at this age:
Having passed the earthly life to the middle,
I found myself in a dark forest
The path is right
Lost in the darkness of the valley.

The biographies of many creative people often show dramatic changes in their lives somewhere around the age of 35. Some of them, such as Gauguin, had just begun their creative work at that time. Others, however, on the contrary, lost their creative motivation for about 35 years, and some even passed away. The frequency of death of many gifted or incompetent people between the ages of 35 and 40 increases abnormally.

Those who make it through this decade with their creativity usually find significant changes in the nature of creativity. Often these changes relate to the intensity of their work: for example, brilliant impulsiveness is replaced by mature, calm skill. One of the reasons is that the "impulsive brilliance" of youth requires great vitality. At least in part, these are physical forces, so that no one can keep them indefinitely. A manager leading a busy life by the age of 35 must change the pace of his life and not be so “given all the best and scatter”. Thus, the problem of limited physical strength inevitably arises in the life of a person of any profession.

For many, the renewal process that begins when they face their illusions and physical decline eventually leads them to a more peaceful and even happier life.

After 50, health issues become more pressing and there is a growing awareness that "time is running out." And people are beginning to understand that the main drawback of old age is that it passes, and a person, as he is born, and leaves life without hair, teeth and illusions.